It is common knowledge that carrying skis by hand, for example, when going to or returning from the slopes, is very inconvenient. Therefore, various devices have heretofore been devised for carrying skis on such occasions. Thus, European patent application No. 043 784 describes a ski-carrying element that enables a ski to be carried by means of a handle adapted thereto at the site of the bindings. The handle is movable between a retractable position and an unfolded position, as indicated above. Each handle is fastened permanently to the corresponding ski and can be retracted into a position below the site reserved for the boot. In one specific embodiment of this ski-carrying element of known construction, the latter has a fixed part in the form of a plate connected to the sole piece of the ski by any means. The actual handle has the shape of a U, the two arms of which slide into housings provided in the aforementioned plate and whose web constitutes the gripping part. Springs mounted around arms of the handle and located inside their housings return the handle to its retracted position.
This device has the drawback of requiring springs, which complicate assembly. Another drawback is that the gripping part of the handle goes laterally beyond the sole piece of the ski.